Kia has arrived at the Chicago Motor Show with a K5 facelift that trades its entry-level 1.6T engine for a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated unit. The sporty GT spec is still on sale, though.
The pre-facelift Kia K5 produced 182 PS (180 hp / 135 kW) and 264 Nm (195 lb-ft) of torque. Switching to a non-turbo engine bumped up the power to 193 PS (190 hp / 142 kW), but dropped the torque to 245 Nm (181 lb-ft).
The only transmission available in this entry-level spec is eight-speed automatic. All-wheel-drive is a paid option accessible exclusively in the GT Line trim.
The GT lineup has kept its 2.5-liter turbo intact. It still sends 294 PS (289 hp / 216 kW) to the front wheels through an eight-speed preselector DCT. AWD is not available at all in the GT version.
While all base trim levels make do with 16-inch wheels, the GT Line get 18-inch ones and the full-fledged GT model rides on 19-inch ones. The dashboard and infotainment cluster is composed from two 12.3-inch displays. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support is included as standard, and there is a new fingerprint scanner option.
In South Korea, the Kia K5 facelift debuted in October last year. It didn’t receive any new powertrain options on that market. As for the exterior, it was updated in the same way for all markets around the globe, with the biggest accent put on the lighting.